Sound-reproducer.



A.,N. PIERMAN. SOUND REPRODUCER. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 19. 19m.

1 ,275,302. Patented Aug. 13; 1918.

Fay. 4.

INi/E/ VTOR f/qwp/m JKQSMWM ATTORNEYS ALEXANDER N. PIERMAH, OF NEWARK, JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO NEW JERSEY PATENT COMPANY, OF WEST ORANGE JERSEY.

, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW SOUND-REPRODUCEE.

Specification of Leraaoa.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, ALEXANDER N. PIER- .MAN, a citizen of the United States, and a corresponding to sound waves are impressed upon a current of any suitable moving fluid by a suitable valve operated in accordance with sound vibrations, as by connection with a reproducing stylus tracking a record groove. The principal object of my invention is to construct a reproducer having a sensitive valve of a novel character, which is operated in such a manner as to give a reproduction of sound of clear and excellent qualities and the desired degree of amplification. K

Other objects of my invention will appear more fully in the following specification and appended claims.

In order that my invention may be more clearly understood, attention is hereby directed to the accompanying drawing in Which-- Figure 1 represents a side elevation partly in section of a sound reproducer embodying the preferred form of my invention, the valve being shown in closed position;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view similar to that of Fig. 1 showing the valve in open position; a

Fig. 3 is a cross section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrow;

Fig. 1 is a plan view of my preferred form of valve; and

Fig. 5 is a plan. view of a port plate suitable for use with the valve of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawing, the hollow sound box 1 is formed with two chambers 2 and 3 communicating through ports 4; in the port plate or member 5, air or other fluid being conducted into the chamber 3 by means of a conduit 6 and escaping from chamber 2 through the .rep'roducer'neck 7 At the inner end of the conduit 6 is located a strainer or filter 8, made preferably of a Le ter Patented Aug. 1a, rare.

Application filed January 19, 1914:. Serial No. 812,906.

to prevent the passage into the'sound box of particles of dust and other objectionable matter which might become lodged between the valve and its seat and thereby interfere with the accurate operation of the valve. The chamber 3 is closed at its lower end by a suitable closure -9. A floating weight 10 is pivotally secured to the sound box as at 11 and carries stylus lever 12 pivotally mounted, as shown, upon pin 13 carried by spaced lugs 14 dependin from the floating weight, as is common. tylus lever 12 carries the reproducing stylus 15'. j

The ports 4, which are preferably in the form of narrow elongated slits, as shown,- are preferably spaced equal distances apart and arranged radially, the median plane of each passing through the axis of symmetryof the chambers 2 and 3. The valve 16 is preferably an integral structure, being stamped from a sheet of thin elastic metal. It preferably consists of an annular circumferential portion17 and the narrow radially arranged arms, strips, or reed-like members 18. The valve 16 is mounted upon port plate 5 with one of the arms or strips 18 covering each of the ports 4, The inner endsof' the arms or strips 18, as shown, are free to move relatively to each other and to the port plate, being thereby free to vibrate very accurately and substantially without restraint in accordance with the vibrations of the sound record. The preferred means for transmitting the vibrationsof the stylus lever 12 to the valve 16 comprises a light, hollow, preferably dome-like, memb 19 arranged with its axis passing thro gh the point from which the axes of the valve ports and'the arms or strips 18 radiate and applied to said arms or strips adjacent the free ends thereof. A link 20 is connected at its lower end to the stylus lever 12 and at its upper end to the center of the member 19, the link 20 passing through a central opening 21 in the port-plate. The link 20 passes axially through the hollow interior 22' of tubular member 23, which is open at its lower end and secured at said end in an opening in the center of the closure 9. The tubular member. 23 extends axially through the chamber 3, the upper end of said member being provided with a plate 24- bearing upon the 0 wer central portion of the port plate 5 and having a central opening registering only through said ports. The valve and valve port are secured together in position in the sound box in such a manner that the annulus 17 and accordingly the outer ends of the arms or strips 18 are rigidly held in position. This may be accomplished, as shown, by mounting the port plate and valve between washers and 26 respectively, the

lower washer, as shown, bearing upon an annular shoulder at the upper end of the cylindrical body portion 27 .of the. sound box, and the washers, valve and valve plate being firmly held between this shoulder and the top member 28 of the sound box. The latter is adapted to be screwed tightly in place in the upper end of the sound box, as shown. When SO mounted, the form of valve shown operates entirely by flexure to increase or decrease the extent of opening of the ports 4 'in accordance with the sound vibrations upon the record reproduced by stylus 15. The best results are. obtained when the valve and port plate are rigidly secured between hardened; metallic washers.

In order to prevent lateral displacement of the valve arms or strips 18 with respect to their respective ports 4 by reason of the frictional engagement between member 28, washer 25, and valve arms or strips 18 when the member 28 is being screwed down in position, 1 preferably provide the upper 'washer 25' with a lugor projection 29 inserted in an opening 30in the sound box to prevent rotation of said washer.

Preferably, link 20 is formed at its upper end with a suitable enlargement 31 resting upon the upper side of member 19, the pressure of air passing through conduit 6 into chamber 3 andthrough ports 4 serving to flex the valve upwardly, while a downward movement of link 20 serves to flex the valve downwardly or toward its seat. If the reproducer is operated by suction in pipe 6 instead of by pressure, it is understood that the valve should be seated on the op osite side of the port plate 5 from that indicated with appropriate connection to the stylus lever.

- In operation, the valve ports are opened more or less in accordance with sound vibrations so that the volume of fluid passing through the ports varies in union with the sound record groove and a clear, excellent quality of reproduction is obtained. With the radial arrangement of the arms herein Lav/5,302

disclosed, a large amount of uniformly dis tributed port opening is provided for the passage of the fluid from one chamber to another. It will be noted that the direction of the current of compressed fluid is chan ed but very little in its passage from one 0 amber to another, the faithfulness and clearness of the sound Waves impressed upon the moving fluid being thus not materially interfered with." It should also be noted that the means for transmitting the move ment from the stylus to the valve act directly upon the axes of all of the valve arms or strips, whereby all the, ports are uniformly opened and closed in accordance with the recorded sound vibrations.

I desireit to be understood that my invention is not limited to the exact construction shown, but that various changes may be made {therein Without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is as follows:

1. In a'sound reproducer, the combination of a member having radially disposed slitlike ports therein converging to a point, valve strips seated upon said member covering said ports and being free at their inner ends to move away from said member opening said ports and a stylus connected to the inner ends of all of said strips and arranged to directly exert a force thereon alon a line transversely thereto and coincident with said point to control the extent of opening of said ports in accordance with sound vibrations, substantially as described.-

2. In a sound reproducer, the combination of a member'having radially disposed slitlike ports therein diverging from a point and symmetrically arranged entirely around said point, valve strips seated upon -said a member covering said ports and free at their inner ends to move away from said member opening said ports and a stylus connected to the inner ends out all of said strips and exerting a force substantially at an an is thereto to control the extent of opening or said ports in accordance with sound vibrations, substantially as described. I

3. In a sound reproducer, the combination of a port member having radially disposed ports therein symmetrically arranged around a central point, a valve for said ports comprising an'annular member and a plurality of symmetrically arranged radially disposed arms converging inwardly from the annular meniber, covering the ports and 1 free to move at their inner ends away from said port member opening said ports, means for securing'said annular member with the outer ends of said arms to said port member and a stylus connected to the inner ends'ot all of said arms and exerting a force transversely thereto to directly control the move- Jaw inent of said arms toward and away from said port member to control the extent of opening of said ports in accordance with sound vibrations, substantially as described;

4. In a sound reoroducer, the combination of a port member having radially arranged a force thereon along a line transversely thereto and coincident with said point to control the extent of opening of said ports in accordance wit-h sound vibrations, substantially as described.

5. In a sound reproducer, the combinationwith a port plate, having slit-like ports therethrough arranged with their axes converging to a point, of avalve seated upon said 'plate and comprising elongated relatively movable arms, each of said ports being covered by one of said arms, and means comprising a dome-like member applied to said arms and arran ed with its axis passing through said point or actuating said valve for varying the extent of opening of said ports in accordance with sound vibrations, substantially as described.

6. In a sound reproducer, the combination with .a port plate having slit-like ports therethrough arranged with their axes converging to a point, of a val 'e seated upon said plate and comprising elongated arms secured to said port plate at one end of each and free to move relatively to said port plate and to each other at the other end of each, each of said ports being covered by one of said arms, and means comprising a dome-like member applied to said arms and arranged With its axis passing through said point for actuating said valve for varying the extent of opening of said ports in accordance with soundvibrations, substantially as described,

7. In a sound reproducer, a hollow body having chambers communicating through a port and having also a passage communicating with one of said chambers and passing through but not communicating with the other chamber, and means for varying the extent of opening of said port in accordance with sound vibrations, said means comprising a valve located in said first-named cham- I berand arranged to cover said port, a stylus and means connected with said stylus and passing through said passage for actuating said valve, substantially as described.

8. In a sound reproducer, a hollow body having chambers communicating through a port and having also a passage communicating with but one of said chambers, and means for varying the extent of opening of said port in accordance with sound vibrations, said means comprising a valve arranged to cover said port, a stylus, and

means connected with said stylus and pass ing through said passage for actuating said valve, substantially as described.

This specification signed and witnessed this 16th day of January, 1914.

ALEXANDER N. PIERMAN.

Witnesses: 1

FREDERICK BAOHMANN, MARY J. LAIDLAW. 

